In a world of instant messages, handwriting feels like a quiet act of rebellion. For Lisbeth Antoine of The Papergoods, paper is a space for courage, confession, and emotion — where every note carries more than words.
This Valentine’s, The Standard, Brussels and The Papergoods transform the Lobby into a Confessional Post Room, inviting guests to write what they’ve never dared to say. Discover bespoke postcards, secret messages, and the beauty of slow communication.
We sat down with Lisbeth about love notes, memories, and the power of putting pen to paper.
You’ve said that nothing beats the feel of a pen on paper — especially in a world swiping and scrolling. So, in a world of instant messages what do you think makes a handwritten note worth keeping — beyond the words themselves?
Writing a letter today almost feels like an act of rebellion. When you receive a handwritten note, you know someone took the time to pick up a pen, sit down and commit their thoughts to paper. I also love analysing people’s handwriting, you can tell a lot about someone’s personality by looking at the way they write; in a hurry, curly, delicate, caps, ink stains,… it showcases bravery; it’s flirting without autocorrect!
Hopefully, you keep the letters in a box. You forget about the box. You move, and 10 years later you find the box back, open it and re-read all the forgotten notes. And laugh and cry. It contains emotions. And even if you don’t want to remember the letter: tearing or burning it feels better than hitting delete.
Writing a letter today almost feels like an act of rebellion. When you receive a handwritten note, you know someone took the time to pick up a pen, sit down and commit their thoughts to paper. I also love analysing people’s handwriting, you can tell a lot about someone’s personality by looking at the way they write; in a hurry, curly, delicate, caps, ink stains,… it showcases bravery; it’s flirting without autocorrect!
Hopefully, you keep the letters in a box. You forget about the box. You move, and 10 years later you find the box back, open it and re-read all the forgotten notes. And laugh and cry. It contains emotions. And even if you don’t want to remember the letter: tearing or burning it feels better than hitting delete.
If someone sent you a love note today, what kind of stationery from The Papergoods would you hope it arrives on — and why?
Perfume-sprayed! I do love the more dramatic ones, they feel slightly overdressed for any message. If it’s good news, it makes it feel extra special, if it’s bad news, it softens the punch.
Perfume-sprayed! I do love the more dramatic ones, they feel slightly overdressed for any message. If it’s good news, it makes it feel extra special, if it’s bad news, it softens the punch.
Was there a childhood moment — maybe a handwritten card or secret note passed in class — that made you fall in love with pen-and-paper communication
When I was 9, I had a boarding school pen pal, a total stranger I never met, we would write weekly letters to each other with copied music lyrics and exchanged theories on why Tupac was still alive. If a letter skipped a week, I was genuinely heartbroken. It was a steady relationship for a nine-year-old.
When I was 9, I had a boarding school pen pal, a total stranger I never met, we would write weekly letters to each other with copied music lyrics and exchanged theories on why Tupac was still alive. If a letter skipped a week, I was genuinely heartbroken. It was a steady relationship for a nine-year-old.
If your handwriting had a personality archetype — romantic, chaotic, minimalist, or rebellious — which would it be and why?
Chaotic - but decided. Like it knows the way but is always in a hurry, and always a little too close to the margins, which annoys all my other personalities, especially the graphic designer.
Chaotic - but decided. Like it knows the way but is always in a hurry, and always a little too close to the margins, which annoys all my other personalities, especially the graphic designer.
How does your design sensibility — rooted in “slow” details and tradition — inform the way people should feel when they write on or receive stationary from The Papergoods?
I would love it if it became something ceremonial to them. No wrong way to say something when it’s written on beautiful paper. The only wrong thing is not saying it at all. So in a way it’s less about romance or finding the right words, and more about courage. You can do it; grab that pen!
I would love it if it became something ceremonial to them. No wrong way to say something when it’s written on beautiful paper. The only wrong thing is not saying it at all. So in a way it’s less about romance or finding the right words, and more about courage. You can do it; grab that pen!
Tell us a bit about the inspiration for our Valentine’s Post Cards –
I’ve long been fascinated by the Acquaintance Cards from way way back when (1880s?). It was a sort of cheeky little calling card used by men to ask a woman out ‘may I see you home tonight’. A romantic (sometimes scandalous) gesture, printed and handed over, the ancestor of today’s deep-scroll ‘like’ on someone’s Instagram.
The valentine postcards are to gently nudge guests to write what they might otherwise leave unsaid, tell your secrets, make a wish, feel like no one would ever read it, confess, get it of your chest, for everyone; lovers, couples, the lonely ones away from home, the heartbroken ones, …
I’ve long been fascinated by the Acquaintance Cards from way way back when (1880s?). It was a sort of cheeky little calling card used by men to ask a woman out ‘may I see you home tonight’. A romantic (sometimes scandalous) gesture, printed and handed over, the ancestor of today’s deep-scroll ‘like’ on someone’s Instagram.
The valentine postcards are to gently nudge guests to write what they might otherwise leave unsaid, tell your secrets, make a wish, feel like no one would ever read it, confess, get it of your chest, for everyone; lovers, couples, the lonely ones away from home, the heartbroken ones, …
For our Post Room guests: what’s one delightful (or daring!) prompt you’d give someone who’s stuck on what to write?
Confess something small, but true. Something you’d only admit after midnight.
Confess something small, but true. Something you’d only admit after midnight.
Finally, if you could extend our love notes into a scent, a tattoo or something else instead of paper, what would you choose and why?
Secret notes that are revealed on steamy bathroom mirrors.
Small gesture: a little cute handsoap, honesty, gently removed. Big gesture: messages written by planes across the sky
Secret notes that are revealed on steamy bathroom mirrors.
Small gesture: a little cute handsoap, honesty, gently removed. Big gesture: messages written by planes across the sky
From 1 to 15 February, the Lobby at The Standard, Brussels transforms into a Confessional Post Room, with bespoke postcards for all your hidden messages.
Pick up a card and write what you’ve never been able to say. A note, a confession, or poetry written at 2AM. Say It, Seal It.
